Chapter 12


Tyler's heart was beating frantically in his chest when he entered the waiting room in the hospital. Angela's words, "Bella was shot," rang in his ears. He couldn't remember much about what happened after he'd heard those words: "You have to come here. Bella was shot." All he knew was that he left the airport immediately and hopped on a taxi that drove him to Forks Community Hospital.

There were a lot of people in the room. He scanned part of the room before his eyes landed on Charlie. His heart stopped for a second when he saw Bella's father, who looked like a man who had lost someone dear. Was Bella...

"Charlie, how is Bella? Please tell me, she's not..." he couldn't say the word, not even think about it.

Charlie's head snapped in his direction; the expression on his face with tear-stricken eyes was like a punch in the gut. For a while, it looked like Charlie didn't recognize who Tyler was.

"Tyler..." Charlie started, but he couldn't continue, and he leaned against his hands, his shoulders shaking. Cold and hot flashes rushed through his body, and his ears started to ring. He stumbled forward and gripped the back of the chair before him.

"Is she..." Tyler started but failed to continue.

"She's in surgery," the woman sitting next to Charlie said. "There was a shooting accident on the beach. Bella was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the bullet hit her," the woman told him. "Her heart stopped on the way to the hospital, but they got her pulse back."

"God," Tyler breathed, sitting on the chair closest to him. This wasn't happening. He closed his eyes, leaned against his hands, arms propped against his thighs, and tried to take deep breaths. He felt nauseated, and all he could see was Bella's smiling face and sparkling eyes. She can't die. She can't die.

"How long has she..." Tyler said, lifting his head, but his words trailed off when he saw Jacob and Paul fucker standing on the opposite side of the big waiting room. What the fuck were they doing here?! Tyler could get it why Jacob was here being Bella's best friend and all, but why that fucker was here? Unless...

"It has something to do with you that Bella is shot!" Tyler shouted as he got up from the chair and started toward the two. "What the fuck did you do?!" he continued.

Paul's eyes flashed, and Tyler stopped, stunned for a moment. Did he see yellow in his eyes? He recovered fast; everything in the other male told Tyler he was the reason Bella had been shot.

"You fucker!" he shouted and lunged at him.

"Easy there," Jacob said, coming between him and Paul.

"What the fuck did you do?!" Tyler shouted, not caring what the people around them thought.

"Shut the fuck up, Tyler, or we have the security here in no time," Jacob said, keeping him away from his friend.

Paul was looking at him. His face had turned into a stone. Not a muscle moved in his face. He only stared at him with his black eyes.

"You better tell me what the fuck happened," Tyler spat, trying again to get past Jacob, but he was so much bigger and stronger than him. Fuck he was a mammoth.

"I think you should leave and run it off," Jacob said to Paul.

Paul just shook his head in denial and moved further away from him and Jacob.

"What the fuck happened?" Tyler asked again. "Who shot at Bella?"

Jacob sighed. "It was Angela's father."

"What!?" Tyler was shocked. Had he heard right? "Reverend Weber? Why?"

Jacob rubbed his neck, glanced at his friend, and continued, "he was aiming at Paul, but Angela grabbed his arm just when he pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit Bella."

"Why the fuck was he trying to shoot you?" Tyler asked Paul, but he didn't say anything. "Answer me, you fucker!"

"Shut up, Tyler. Bella would not want you to cause a scene here. You are upsetting people," Jacob tried to ease him down. But he just got more pissed by the second. He kept his eyes on Paul, who hadn't taken his eyes off him either. Tyler thought he saw yellow flashing in his eyes again.

"You don't know shit what Bella wants and what she doesn't want!"

"I know her," Jacob grunted.

"Why the fuck Bella is lying there fighting for her life?! Hmm?! Weren't you supposed to be there with her?"

Jacob was going to say something but was interrupted by a strong male voice, "Chief Swan?" Tyler spun around. It was that Cullen's freak's father. Was he Bella's doctor?

Tyler could swear he heard growling from Jacob and Paul, but his attention was on the doctor and Chief Swan, and he went to them. The doctor didn't look like he was going to deliver bad news. Not that his face showed any emotion, ever had when Tyler had seen him.

"How is Bella, Dr. Cullen?" Charlie, who'd got up from the chair, asked, his voice raw.

"She's stable and will pull through," Dr. Cullen said. A shot of relief went through Tyler's body. Bella would be okay. He leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees to take a few steady breaths; his head felt light.

"Are you okay?" The Doctor asked, placing his hand on his shoulder. Tyler just nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Bella has lost a lot of blood," the doctor continued. "She is sleeping right now under heavy medication."

"Paul. Let it go," Tyler heard Jacob saying, and when he glanced behind his back and saw Jacob holding Paul. It looked like he wanted to bolt at the doctor. What the fuck was that all about?

"Can I see her?" Charlie asked, and Tyler straightened, facing the doctor.

"You can go now," the doctor said to Bella's father.

"Can I see her too? She's my girlfriend," Tyler asked.

"You are Tyler Crawley, right?" the doctor asked, giving him a piercing stare. Tyler blinked; he had never gotten used to the strange eye color Cullens all had.

"Yes."

"I remember you from Edward's class."

"Yes, we were in the same class, as was Bella. Can I see her too? I need to see her," Tyler's voice was pleading.

"Yes, you can see her too, but only you two can go."

"Paul!" Jacob's voice was rising further.

"Get your hands off me you fucker," Paul grunted.

The doctor looked at the two with an expression Tyler couldn't read.

"I'm afraid I can't let more than two see her today. We'll see how she's tomorrow. You can come back then," the doctor said to them. "I promise she is fine. She's getting the best care. Nothing can harm her here." With a pointed look at them, he added, "Nothing. You have my word."

What weird shit was that?

Jacob pulled Paul out of the room, but it was clear Paul didn't want to leave. They had created quite a scene, and other people were gaping at them.

"I'll go with Jacob and Paul," the woman with Charlie said. "Will you let me know how she is doing?" she asked Charlie.

"Yes," Charlie nodded.

"This way," Dr. Cullen said, leading the way out of the waiting hall.

They entered the room with a single bed where Bella lay sleeping, unmoving, with all kinds of tubes attached to her hands and nose. Her neck was covered with dressings. Tyler gasped.

"Oh my God. Was she shot in her neck?" Tyler asked, walking slowly toward the bed. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She looked so pale, so fragile in the big bed. Her long hair was braided on one plait.

"Yes," the doctor said. "She'll have a scar, but nothing internal was damaged. She's quite lucky; it was very close that the bullet didn't rip her jugular, and we got it out without causing any damage."

"Jesus," Charlie said silently.

"What the hell happened?" Tyler asked.

"I'll leave you two now," Dr. Cullen said. "Stay as long as you need to."

Charlie rubbed his face. He took a chair next to Bella's bed and sat down, sighing heavily.

Charlie didn't take his eyes off Bella when he started to tell Tyler what happened.

"John Weber came to the beach with a gun. Angela was with him. I don't know what he thought he could make happen by pointing a gun at Paul Lahote, but when he did, his daughter grabbed his arm, which most likely caused Weber to pull the tricker, and the bullet hit Bella, who was further on the beach but walking toward the scene."

"God," Tyler felt a shiver going through him.

"I've never seen a man so changed," Charlie continued. "John Weber has always been so composed and a pillar of our community." He shook his head in disbelief. "To see such a man hold a gun on a public beach, where there were families and children around, where Bella was..." Charlie's voice cracked, and for a long time, they were silent.

Tyler didn't know the Weber family so well. His family was not religious, and they never went to church. Tyler's mother had many things in common with Mrs. Weber; they had organized many events and were part of the same charities. But Tyler had hardly ever talked with Angela's father.

"Why did he try to shoot Paul Lahote?" Tyler asked. Not that he cared if Weber had actually shot the fucker. There was something in Paul Lahote that made Tyler's skin crawl. He hated him, which was a bit odd, considering he didn't even know him.

Charlie was silent for a while, watching Bella.

"Angela is pregnant, and Paul is the father. John Weber was there to make Paul marry Angela. That is what Paul told me after the shooting."

Well damn. Weber had totally lost his marbles.

"All I can think is that he lost his mind. I don't know what Angela told her father, but it's not easy for a father to hear his daughter is pregnant by a man unwilling to marry her. But still, it doesn't make any sense for him to make threats with a gun. So I guess he just snapped. "

"Is he arrested now?" The fucker didn't deserve to set his foot out of prison ever.

"Yes. I did the honors," Charlie said and moved to kiss Bella on her forehead. "He will pay for this." He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

They fell silent. The beeping of the heart monitor filled the silence. Hearing the study beat of Bella's heart helped Tyler to breathe easier. He leaned closer to Bella's bed and took her hand in his. It was warm, with tubes attached to it. He leaned closer still and kissed her fingertips lightly. He held her hand between his palms.

He had nearly lost her today. He could not imagine life without Bella in it. She had almost died, and the reason for that was that fucking Paul Lahote. Fury filled his mind.

"But how is it that you are here? Weren't you leaving for Hawaii with your family?" Charlie asked, snapping him out of his murderous thoughts.

"Yeah. I was on the phone with Bella when she ended the call, telling me she'd call me back. I was restless since something was clearly bothering her. She told me about an old lady she liked who had died and was sad. But then someone shouted at the beach, and she ended the call. I got worried."

Charlie looked at him, frowning. "An old lady died?"

"That is what she told me," Tyler said, confused; had Bella lied? Wanting to ignore his suspicions, he continued. "I called her back, but she didn't answer. And after a few more tries, Angela answered and told me Bella was shot. I left right away."

"You were here fast," Charlie said.

"Yes, there was very little traffic, and I promised 100 bucks extra to the driver if he could bring me here fast."

Charlie nodded. "I'm glad you are here. Bella needs us here when she wakes up."

Charlies' words touched Tyler, and his throat thickened. He cleared his throat.

"Have you told her mother?" Tyler asked, knowing perfectly well it wasn't something Bella would want.

"No. She doesn't need to know now. We don't want Renée to bring her drama here. I'll tell her after Bella is on the mend and strong enough to handle her bullshit."

It was Tyler's turn to nod. Bella's mother was a bitch who didn't care about Bella.

A nurse came into the room. She checked all was good with Bella. "She is doing wonderfully. Doctor Cullen said you can stay here all night. We can bring you cots where you can sleep if you wish."

"Thank you," Charlie said. "You want to stay?" he asked, turning to look at him.

Tyler nodded. The hell would freeze over before he would leave Bella's side.

After the nurse left, Tyler and Charlie fell into silence; neither of them felt like talking. And there was no need to talk. Bella was taken care of; she would be fine. It had always been easy to be with Charlie. He was a man with few words, and not talking with him didn't make Tyler uncomfortable. It had always been the same with Bella. Being with her was as easy as breathing. No matter what they were doing, talking, sitting in silence, studying together, making love... A shot of longing went through Tyler's body.

"I promised to call Sue about Bella," Charlie said, interrupting the silence. He got up from the chair and started toward the door. "I'll go and get something to eat from the café. Do you want something?"

"Maybe a sandwich and a coke. Thanks, Charlie."

Charlie nodded and left the room, shutting the door softly after him.

Tyler got up to stretch his back and legs. He walked to the window. Sun was just setting, and the sky was red. Tyler glanced at the clock on the wall; it was just past nine.

Bella made a slight noise. Tyler rushed to her bed, sitting on the chair; pulling it closer, he took her hand.

"Bella, baby," Tyler's voice cracked, and his eyes simmered. "You are all right. Everything is going to be alright."

She made another whimpering noise, and her eyes moved under the eyelids, but she didn't open her eyes.

"Bella?" he whispered. "I'm here."

Bella moved her head a little, but her eyes remained closed.

"Bella, I'm here. You were hurt, but you will be okay," Tyler repeated.

She opened her eyes, but they were unfocused, and she closed them again.

"Paul," she said.


AN:

Thank you all for your comments, favs and follows. I was blown away by how many had been waiting for an update.

And I do apologize for making you wait again. I loved hearing what you think. I try not to make you wait for the next chapter as long this time.